Kyrie Irving sends bold message to rest of NBA as Mavericks eye Finals return

Over 13 years after winning the 2011 NBA Finals, the Dallas Mavericks are still searching for their second championship in franchise history.

Dallas took a huge step in the right direction last season when they reached the Finals last season, but they ended up falling short against the Boston Celtics in five games. The Mavs went on an excellent run through the playoffs that included knocking off the top two teams in the Western Conference (Oklahoma City Thunder and Minnesota Timberwolves), and now it's time to go back to the drawing board.

Training camp is less than a month away, and the Mavs are focused on returning to the NBA Finals, with Kyrie Irving definitely being as motivated as ever to go win his second ring.

Kyrie Irving strongly declares Mavericks will 'be back' in Finals

On Wednesday night, Irving streamed on Twitch and talked about the upcoming season, and he is locked in on being great once again.

"We got (to the Finals) for a reason," Irving said. "Blood is definitely in the water...We're gonna be back."

Irving did not take losing in the Finals lightly and took some blame for not playing his best when Dallas needed him most, and he is ready for another shot at competing for the Larry O'Brien Trophy.

Irving also praised his teammates from last season and talked about how "special" of a group they were and credited their Finals run to how much chemistry they gained down the final stretch of the season. The chemistry is already flowing this offseason, and it will be a crucial factor in having another productive season.

He is excited to get back to work after a "disappointing" end to last season, and it's clear he didn't take that Finals loss lightly.

"Losing (expletive) sucks," Irving said.

Irving seems pumped to get back on the floor with his teammates, and he is expected to be able to return from his hand injury before the start of training camp. He broke his left hand while training earlier this summer, and him being ready before training camp begins next month would be huge for Dallas.

No matter what happened at the end of last year, Irving is ready to move on to the 2024-25 season and compete to win the Finals with the Mavs. This young team got a taste of what playing in the Finals feels like last season, and they have all the firepower they need to return to the Finals once again.

Irving had an excellent season for Dallas as he averaged 25.6 points per game while shooting 49.7 percent from the field and 41.1 percent from downtown, and his chemistry with Luka Doncic continuously improved as the season progressed. They turned into one of the best duos in the NBA by the end of the regular season, and Irving's leadership was crucial all year long.

He obviously wasn't satisfied with how last season ended, and his mind is set on one thing.

Winning the NBA Finals.